For Keeps
by thebritshgirl83
Summary: Leonard and Penny attend Howard and Bernadette's wedding and the Beta Test comes to an end. Rubbish summery but hopefully the writing will be better! Please review


**Well this is my first time writing a story. Literally haven't done any type of creative writing since high school (and back then I was never very good!) so I apologise in advance if this is terrible. **

**The idea came to me while I was sat at my laptop trying my best to finish my finance assignment for university, and had a slight detour and wrote this instead! **

**Anyway not sure if it will be a one shot piece or if I should write more chapters I guess that depends on the feedback from the readers. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing the characters and everything else TBBT belongs to CBS. This is purely for fun **

Penny sat at the white round table admiring the centre piece. It was beautifully done, simple yet elegant just like the day had been. The white lilies matched Bernadette's wedding bouquet and the individual flower each of the groomsmen wore proudly on the lapel of their suit.

Howard actually looked hansom, gone were the wild colours and the painfully skinny trousers. Replace with a tasteful traditional black tux, white shirt and black bow tie. Somehow Penny had a feeling Bernadette had a hand in selecting the grooms attire.

Raj fulfilled the role as best man, and wore the same as Howard as did the other grooms men Leonard and Sheldon. The latter of course took a lot of persuasion and the promise of a new robot and comic book in order to get him to wear a suit with less than 5 colours.

Penny shifted her gaze around the room; Sheldon and Amy were sat at the opposite table involved in the depths of what appeared to be a serious conversation. She thought to herself with a slight smirk Amy was probably trying to negotiate furthering their relationship with the act of holding hands or a peck on the cheek, while Sheldon refuted with a counter argument that it is not in the boyfriend/girlfriend agreement.

Raj was over by the bar sipping on some florescent pink cocktail. Of course when it came time for the best man speech in order to insure he didn't clam up as he usually does in the presence of women Leonard made sure to give him a shot of whiskey, just enough to allow him to talk but not too much to allow him to show himself and the bride and groom up on their big day.

However now that part of the day was all over and done with Raj was now on the path to getting seriously drunk and chatting to any woman within a 2step radius.

What Penny saw next bought a huge smile to her face, on the dance floor in their own little bubble of bliss was the happy couple.

Their first dance as man and wife had come and gone yet they had yet to release each other from their embrace and continued to softy move round the dance floor exchanging soft whispers and loving kisses like there was no one else around.

Penny wondered if that's what she and Leonard would look like one day. Sure they were still in the beta test of their relationship, but they were getting stronger and stronger as the days went by, they were by no means ready to even talk about marriage. But that didn't stop penny from thinking what it would be like to one day be Mrs. P Hofstadter.

After today's event she would probably day dream about it more, seeing as earlier today Leonard had been the groomsman to her bridesmaid and walked with her down the aisle.

A lazy smile took over her mouth as she recalled Leonard whispering how beautiful she looked in her bridesmaids dress, but then she looks beautiful to him every day, and throughout the ceremony not once did he take his eyes of her.

It was the simple things like that, that Leonard did that showed how much her cared for her. Some girls needs fancy gifts and expensive dinners, and don't get her wrong Penny enjoyed it was much as the next girl being spoilt when it came to birthdays and anniversaries.

But on a day to day basis all she needed was for Leonard to show her how much her cared thought the little things. Like making a pot of coffee in the morning if he woke first or the occasional breakfast in bed, or just a simple but loving kiss when he sees her.

Penny was suddenly dragged from her thoughts by having a glass of champagne placed in front of her, and the person pulled out a chair to sit next to her.

She turned in her chair to see Leonard slow sit down with a slight smile on his hansom face.

He took one of her hands in his and gently stroked his thumb along her knuckles.

'You looked deep in thought there, care to share?'

Penny looked into his dark brown eyes and smiled 'Just things, how today has gone, how happy Howard and Bernadette look. Me and you, just little things like that. You know how I get when my mind wanders.'

Leonard squeezed her hand in his and reached for his glass of champagne, indicating for Penny to do the same.

'I would like to make a toast.-' 'to Howard and Bernadette?' Penny interrupted.

'No we have already toasted them once today. No this toast I want to make to us. Whatever the future may bring I will be by your side no matter what. I know we are in the beta test still and I don't know what will come of us in the future … I know what I want us to become I mean I did ask you to dinner-'

'Leonard you're babbling'

'Right, sorry. Anyway to us, Leonard and Penny 2.0'

Penny was smiling her biggest smile; Leonard liked to think it was the smile she reserved only for him. He clinked his glass against hers at the same time she lent in and placed a soft, loving kiss on his lips that last for at least 5 Mississippi's.

Slowly she opened her green eyes to see his dark brown ones looking back at her lovingly.

She had seen that look 2 years pervious right before he professed his love for her, and back then it scared the heck out of her.

Now however not so much, in fact not one bit.

'Leonard … I erm ...' penny was screaming at herself that now was the perfect time to utter those 3 words. But for some reason they just would not formulate on her lips.

'Penny, would you like to dance with me?'

She sensed that Leonard knew what she wanted to say but he also knew that she maybe wasn't quite ready to say it yet. So instead he changed the subject. Yet another reason she fell for him.

'I would love to dance with you sweetie.'

Leonard put down his glass, stood from his chair and led Penny out to the dance floor.

Once there he pulled her to him rested his left hand on her lower back and took her left hand in his right. Penny at first rested her right hand against his shoulder but deciding she needed a more intimate touch shifted it up so her finger tangled themselves in the soft curls at the back of his neck.

Slowly they started to sway to the music lost in each other's gaze.

One song became two, then three and before they knew it they had been in each other's arms for 30mintues not saying a word, just content at being in their embrace and occasionally exchanging soft butterfly kisses.

Leonard finally broke the silence.

'you know when we were walking down the aisle before and I told you how beautiful you looked? Well what I was meant to say was you are the most beautiful woman in the room. I just felt it was inappropriate at the time with it being Bernadette's big day and all. But you are, to me you are the most beautiful girl in every room.'

A solitary tear spilled out of Penny's eye and before she could reach her hand up to brush it away Leonard was there kissing the tears from her cheeks.

'I hope they are happy tears missy.'

'Of course, I think we have both cried enough sad tears over each other these past 2 years.' She replied with a slight laugh to her voice. 'Leonard I've been meaning to talk to you about us, I've been racking my brains trying to think of how to say what I need to say and it has been driving me crazy so I am just gonna say it.'

'Leonard looking back at when we were together the first time was the happiest I have been in a relationship. And I thought I was doing the right thing when we broke up, but looking back it was a huge mistake. It almost killed me seeing you with Priya, but I knew that it was me who ended things and that you were happy so I had to be happy for you.'

Leonard was about to interrupt but Penny simply put a finger on his lips 'let me say this please.'

Leonard nodded and kissed her finger signalling that he would be quiet, and let her have her say.

'When you asked me out again, I was so happy, but also really nervous. We had just gotten back to a stage where we could hang out as friends again and I didn't want to mess that up. As much as I missed you as my boyfriend, I also really missed you as my best friend. I could sacrifice my happiness if it meant I could have you in my life again be it only as friends.'

'so I guess that is why I wanted, no needed to take things slow. I didn't wanna messy this up again. I needed to make sure we did it right this time, because if it's okay with you I don't plan on ever letting you go again. You and me this is for keeps. I love you Leonard.'

A huge smile spread over both of their faces as they leaned in and met in the middle a passionate embrace. Penny's arms encircled around Leonard's neck, his arms snaked around her slim waist, pulling her against him so there was nothing between them.

Only the need for air parted them and they rested their foreheads together while they recovered from the kiss.

Leonard looked into the eyes of the woman he loved with a mischievous glint in his eye. Instead of replying with a confession of his own love and admiration he said 'Thank you'

Penny rolled her eyes at his response and shook her head slightly.

'I guess I deserved that. So does this mean we are together again like officially?'

He quickly stole a kiss from her lips 'I'm all in, this time it's for keeps for me too.'

He lifted her hand to his lips then untangled himself from her and started to lead her off the dance floor out of the banquet room, waving a quick good bye to Howard and Bernadette who had been watching them dance from their seats at the head table.

'Where are we going?' she asked while happily being lead out of the room and into the corridor of the hotel where the wedding reception was held.

Leonard said nothing he navigated his way through the corridors until he located the room he wanted unlocking the door and pushing it open, he turned and swept Penny into his arms and surprised her with a passionate kiss.

'I love you Penny. Now let me show you just how much.'

With that he kissed her again carried her into their room and kicked the door shut with his foot.


End file.
